here is 11 cut —— helen catt. demands at the 11th hour. here is 11 cut -- helen catt.t the chance of dealing a deal in the next few days is receding, according to a senior government source last night who accuse the eu are bringing in new elements at the 11th hour. you has hardened its sta nce hour. you has hardened its stance on common rules, in particular, how to enforce them. —— the eu. particular, how to enforce them. -- the eu. an eu source denied there had been any surprises or new demands from them. discussions on fishing had also gone back 2a hours, according to the uk's side, there are claims that france is taking a firm approach michel barnier is expected to go back to brussels later, as planned. talks do continue, what is going on inside the building he has left behind, we cannot know for sure. they turn for the worse, or theatrics nearing the end? we shall find out soon. helen catt, bbc news, westminster. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. an investigation will continue later into the cause ofan continue later into the cause of an explosion

helen catt, bbc news. the latest headlines on bbc news....k hospitals from the new coronavirus variant. three ambulance services in the south—east of england are asking people not to call unless it's a genuine emergency. countries across the european union begin a co—ordinated roll—out of the covid vaccine, with all 27 member states offering jabs to the most vulnerable. the uk government warns businesses and travellers to be prepared for substantial changes and possible disruption from new year's eve when new brexit rules come into force. 200 british skiers have fled from a town in switzerland, they were ordered to isolate for ten days and rather than do that they slipped away under cover of darkness. our correspondent imogen foulkes told me that the promise of a free drink did little to persuade the tourists to stay and follow the guidelines. if you're a keen skier and you have come all the way from britain to your favourite very upmarket resort of verbier and just days after you get there you're told sorry, back to your hotel and stay indoo

helen catt, bbc news.limoria, president of the confederation of british industry, an independent life peer in the house of lords. good to speak to you again. thank you for being with us. in the light of the different announcements that we re of the different announcements that were made last week about trade involving northern ireland, will much change for british companies on the ist of january, even much change for british companies on the ist ofjanuary, even if much change for british companies on the ist of january, even if there much change for british companies on the ist ofjanuary, even if there is no deal? we are at a such a crucial point at the moment, in fact, just today the business europe, which is the organisation of all the equivalent of the cvi and confederation in each of the countries in europe come all of them have put out a message today, along with the cbi, saying this is an important weekend for european economies, many businesses and jobs depend on an eu uk agreement and we ask of bot

helen catt, bbc news.f growing pressure on the nhs from the new coronavirus variant. three ambulance services in the south—east of england are asking people not to call unless it's a genuine emergency. a leading think tank forecasts that the uk economy will see slower growth next year due to the tightening of coronavirus restrictions. the government warns businesses and travellers to be prepared for substantial changes and possible disruption from new year's eve when new brexit rules come into force. hundreds of british tourists have reportedly fled the swiss ski resort of verbier rather than face a 10—day quarantine. around 200 people are thought to have left the town, popular with uk holidaymakers, during the night. that was after switzerland's government ordered anyone arriving from britain after december 14th to self—isolate, following the discovery of a new variant of covid—19. reports claim tourists were even offered free champagne on christmas day to make their stay more comfortable. let's speak to

helen catt, bbc news, westminster.o david henig, uk director at the european centre for international political economy — and a former uk trade negotiator. hgppy happy christmas to you. from the information we have got so far, and i'm not sure how much you have been able to wade through in terms of the legalese, did the british government deliver on its promise? well, that depends on what the promise that we are going fourfor the uk government. certainly the uk government. certainly the uk government will be happy that by and large they have protected sovereignty and got preferential access to the eu, but we think that in some of the small print the eu positions have won. both sides have had to compromise, that is the nature of a trade deal. what has been conceded on both sides? well, the uk had to sign up to what i think are going to be the most stringent level playing field, the fair competition rules, ever included in a trade agreement. we recall this was absolutely the eu's number one agreement. the uk, on the othe

helen catt reports. it's little wonder that he looked so pleased. was a big moment, a deal done after nine months of talks and years of divisive debate. i'm very pleased to tell you this afternoon that we have completed the biggest trade deal yet, worth £660 billion a year, a comprehensive canada style free trade deal between the uk and the eu. in the eu the tone was more muted, but they, too, say they got a good deal in the end. so we have finally found an agreement. it was a long and winding road, but we have got a good deal to show for it. it is fair, it is a balanced deal and it is the right and responsible thing to do for both sides. three, two, one... the uk left the eu back injanuary, but nothing really changed as we've been in a transition period ever since. this deal sets out how the uk will trade and cooperate on security from next friday, when it ends. on wednesday, mps and peers will be called back from the christmas break to debate it. between now and then, the hundreds of pages that make up the deal will be carefully pored over by many

helen catt, thank you very much.als across the uk are receiving batches of the new coronavirus vaccine, with the first jabs to be given tomorrow. front—line health staff, those over 80, and care home workers will be first to get it. the government says the army could be used to help transport further stocks of the pfizer—biontech vaccine. here's our health correspondent sophie hutchinson. military personnel running a mass coronavirus testing centre in liverpool. now they may be asked to help again, this time in transporting stocks of the vaccine from belgium to the uk, in what has been described as a significant challenge. we are looking at non—commercial flight options, so we will ensure... i mean, this is such an important product — probably perhaps the most important product — so we will look to ensure that those supplies are available in the uk in whatever circumstance. in total, the uk has bought a0 million doses of the pfizer vaccine, enough to protect 20 million people. a small proportion of that — around 800,

our political correspondent, helen catt, reports.supposed to be the call that would make the call. was there enough chance of a deal to keep talking? the answer? despite the exhaustion after almost one year of negotiations, and despite the fact that deadlines have been missed over and over, we both think that it is responsible at this point in time to go the extra mile. we have accordingly mandated our negotiators to continue the task, and to see whether an agreement can be reached, even at this late stage. in the last few minutes, the prime minister has downplayed expectations. as things stand — and this is basically what ursula and i agreed — i'm afraid we're still very apart on some key things, but where there's life, there's hope. we're going to keep talking to see what we can do. the uk certainly won't be walking away from the talks. i think people would expect us to go the extra mile. but i've got to repeat — the most likely thing now is, of course, that we have to get ready for wto terms. the two leaders met face—to—face earli

helen catt reports. not so long ago, hastings in east sussex had one of the lowest rates of coronavirus in england. now a surge in cases has pushed the town into tier 3 along with a huge swathe of the south east. it is therefore necessary to apply to your three measures across a much wider area of the east and south—east of england, including bedfordshire, buckinghamshire, berkshire, peterborough, the whole of hertfordshire, surrey, with the exception of waverley, hastings and rather on the kent border of east sussex, and portsmouth, gosport and haven't in hampshire. these changes will take effect from one minute past midnight on saturday morning. millions of people across northern england and midlands will stay in tier 3. i regret having to take the action we have to take. i deem it necessary and there is a strong view right across government that these actions are necessary. greater manchester has been under the toughest restrictions for months and the rate of infection has come down, below the average

our political correspondent helen catt reports.ussels, negotiators are now back round the table once again, but not for much longer. tomorrow night remains the deadline for deciding if a trade deal can be agreed or not. overnight in kent, a test run. this concrete barrier was being laid along the motorway to deal with this, the potential for lorries to be delayed at the ports. there will be some checks at the border injanuary whether there is a trade deal or not, but other plans specifically for no—deal are more controversial. four royal navy ships are on standby to protect british fishing waters. the ministry of defence say it's part of extensive preparation for a range of scenarios, but it sends a not—so—subtle message that the uk is ready to go it alone. the scottish government has called the move gunboat diplomacy which will not be welcome in scottish waters, and others have also raised concerns. we need to be building alliances, not breaking them apart. the advent us administration is wanting to rekindle western resolve, reene

studio: thank you, helen catt. in prison for other offences, kidnapped and killed madeleine mccann. they're continuing to build a case against the man, known as christian b. from berlin, jenny hill reports. it's six months since german detectives made a dramatic revelation. madeleine mccann, they believe, was kidnapped and killed by a convicted german paedophile. after this tv appeal, they received hundreds of tip—offs about christian b, who is in a germanjailfor drug smuggling and the rape of a tourist in the algarve. but they still don't have enough to charge him. even so, this prosecutor told us that they're sure they've got their man. translation: if you knew the evidence we have, you would come to the same conclusion as i do, but i can't give you details because we don't want the accused to know what we have on him. these are tactical considerations. the six—month investigation has yielded new evidence of other alleged crimes. christian b lived here in portugal on and off for years. prosecutors now believe he

helen catt, bbc news., the former governor of the bank of england mark carney, outlined his concerns about the situation the uk finds itself in. i think it recognised that there are two types of issues around, if there is a rupture in the relationship. the first is very important logistical challenges that come through more checks at ports and the knock—on effects and we are starting to see some of those already. but then there's the more fundamental question of the changing economics of the relationship with europe if there are tariffs in place, if there are other product standards and companies have begun to adjust to those, they have been anticipating some of those. i'll say one thing that is important, is that the financial sector, my colleagues at the bank of england have helped ensure that the financial sector is ready if there is a difficult outcome, it's ready for that outcome and so the financial sector will not make this worse, it will be part of the solution. but undoubtedly, there will be chall

helen catt, bbc news.political correspondent, nick eardley, in downing street in a moment. but first, let's go live to brussels and our europe correspondent, kevin connolly. kevin. a last—minute reprieve for the negotiations. the talks go on. yes. not a solution, of course. but when you consider the mood of negativity heading into today, the idea that today might be the date when they pulled the plug on the entire process, then clearly, something at least has been salvaged. you heard ursula von der leyen saying they thought it was worth going the extra mile. there she is using imperial weights and measures, you don't hear them very much in brussels, so i wonder if that was a bit of a nod to the british negotiators. none of this means that everything is fixed. you still have problems with fisheries committee still have that dispute over the rules governing access to the european single market. but when you consider that the talk yesterday was of the royal navy being deployed to guard british fisheries, it d

our political correspondent helen catt has more.f animals bred for meat in the uk end up being shipped to europe for slaughter. but their long journeys can cause them distress and even injury. so there have been calls for decades for the practice to be banned. now the government says it will be in england and wales, it hopes, by the end of 2021. we think we've struck the right balance here. this will remove the trade that i think most people are concerned about, which is predominantly the export of lambs for slaughter to continental europe. but it will enable high—value breeding stock still to be traded. those tend to be transported in very good conditions. an outright ban like this was impossible under eu law. we know that, because a council in kent tried it in 2012, after more than a0 sheep had to be put down at the port in ramsgate. the high court ruled it was a breach of eu free trade rules. there had been fears a ban may not be possible under global trade rules either, but ministers are confident this is in line with them. the

helen catt, bbc news. borisjohnson gave a slightly longer statement after that conversation. let's listen to a bit more of it now. the idea was that when we went out oi'i the idea was that when we went out on wednesday, the hope was that we we re on wednesday, the hope was that we were going to be able to finish things off today, there was a deal to be done. as things stand, and this was basically what ursula and i agreed, i this was basically what ursula and i agreed, lam this was basically what ursula and i agreed, i am afraid we are still very farapart on agreed, i am afraid we are still very far apart on some key things but where they is life, there is hope, so we are going to keep talking in the uk certainly won't be walking away from the talks. i think people will expect us to go the extra mile. i repeated my offer, which is, if it's necessary to talk to other capitals then i am very happy to do that. the commission are very determined to keep the negotiations the way that they have been done, betwee

let's get the latest from westminster now with our political correspondent helen catt.f the tory rebellion. little doubt these will pass and will come into force at midnight in their existing form that is because labour is of standing, not voting because the liberal democrats are not subordinate and the snp are of standing because this will only apply in england it basically comes down to a split in the conservative party and so for government you have to look for more than 170 conservative backbenchers having to rebel and that seems pretty inconceivable. we can be pretty inconceivable. we can be pretty sure it is going to pass but the scale of the rebellion will tell us the scale of the rebellion will tell usa the scale of the rebellion will tell us a bit more about how feeling on the back benches so if you number to look out for when this comes back in the next half an hour. numbers to look out for, 35 conservative mps rebelled on the national lockdown and it rebelled against that. so if the number who rebel this time comes in below that came of the government should

helen catt, bbc news, westminster.ime minister gave us the first glimpse of the brexit deal that was agreed with the eu, following months of negotiations. in a video posted on twitter, boris johnson held up the draft document — which is thought to be around 500 pages long — and urged people to read it later today. i have a small present for anyone who may be looking for something to read in that sleepy post—christmas lunch moment. and here it is. tidings, glad tidings of greatjoy, because this is a deal. a deal to give certainty to business and travellers and all investors in our country from the ist of january. he deal with our friends and partners in the eu. thousands of lorry drivers stranded at the port of dover may have to spend christmas in their cabs. an extra 800 military personnel are being deployed to help clear the backlog. crossings to france will continue over the festive period, but all drivers are required to test negative for coronavirus before being allowed into france. driving home for christmas. well

helen catt, bbc news.free promotions on unhealthy food and free refills of sugary soft drinks in restaurants, will be banned in england from april 2022, as part of new government plans to tackle obesity. supermarkets will also be barred from displaying unhealthy goods at checkouts, as aruna iyengar reports. ministers want us to buy more of this and less of this. loading up the trolley with unhealthy buy—one—get—one—frees may soon be a thing of the past. ministers say this promotional practice is bad for our health, and encourages us to buy excessive amounts of food we don't actually need. the government says it wants to get tough on tackling obesity. and childhood obesity is seen as one of the biggest threats to britain's future health. the restrictions will apply to foods high in fat, salt or sugar, such as cakes, crisps, soft drinks, breakfast cereals, pizzas and ready meals. smaller shops will be exempt from the rules. and there will be no more free refills of sugary soft drinks when dining out. suck in

helen catt, bbc news.anding teacher from around the world. our very own doctorjamie frost, maths leader at pippin school in kingston upon thames, has been shortlisted for this after his tuition website went viral in lockdown helping millions of people in the united kingdom and around the world continue their studies at home. studio: we are expecting the education secretary momentarily to speak more about his plans to ensure, in his words, that pupils in england taking exams next get a fair assessment. an entire year of stu d e nts by assessment. an entire year of students by cancelling next year's exams. exams are the best form of assessment we have and we are therefore taking steps to make sure that any student preparing to sit them in 2021 has every chance possible to do their very very best. we support the decision from quual that in awarding next year's at gcse, a.s. and a levels, grading will be as generous and will maintaina similar will be as generous and will maintain a similar profile to those gra

helen catt, bbc news, westminster.orough council, currently under tier 2 restrictions but bordering tier 2 restrictions but bordering tier 4 areas. thank you forjoining us. do you think that your area might, or needs to, go into a higher tier? well, it might do. certainly the numbers in our part of the world would suggest that if it is not going on now, it will be at some point in the near future. going on now, it will be at some point in the nearfuture. as going on now, it will be at some point in the near future. as to whether we ought to, these decisions have to be taken on the basis of medical evidence by the experts. it is not for the politicians to cut in and say what their personal opinion is. isn't the issue about getting ahead of this virus? that has been a co nsta nt ahead of this virus? that has been a constant criticism from many people throughout this pandemic, of the government, saying they have not acted quickly enough in certain circumstances. so in order to get ahead of it, don't you need to go into a

helen catt, bbc news, westminster.nt phil mackie is in ledbury, in herefordshire — which will soon be moving from tier 2 to tier i. i think i can detect that the christmas lights in ledbury tonight are sparkling a little bit brighter than they were before, because everybody here is generally very pleased with the news that they've gone down a tier. a manjust walked past and said it was cracking that this has happened. they think they probably could've been in tieri when the most recent restrictions were announced before this one, and that's because it sparsely populated, it's remote, it's rural, there have never been high infection rates or death rates in herefordshire throughout the pandemic, and things haven't really moved a lot since the last time. they have gone down a bit, and because, in particular, that over—60s age group, there have been no great rise there, that's why it felt it could move into tieri now. that means that people will be able to socialise a lot more. as you can see, it's quite bustling anyway in

let's talk to our political correspondent, helen catt. correspondent, helen catt. what the prime ministe say given what the prime minister had to say yesterday, asking people to think very carefully about what they are doing at christmas, to keep prisoners short and small, he given the health has secretary much wiggle room to change tears? it is unlikely we will see any major changes downwards. we might see some areas going into tier 3. there have been calls for some leaders in the north of england seeing we have been in these restrictions for many months. we believe some areas have met the criteria to be moved down to tier 2. we will have to see if any of those are but the expectation is we will not see a huge amount of movement downwards because all the messaging that has been coming from government has been about caution and the fact rates have started to rise very rapidly in recent days in some areas and we saw the government move ahead of this review to put london and parts of hertfordshire and essex into tier 3 this week so the expe

helen catt, bbc news, westminster. 0ur political correspondent iain watsonjoins me now.e robertjenrick, who was doing the amount of running —— round of morning interviews for the government, allude a couple of times to the fact the tier system, as it stands, was created before the government knew the details about this new variant of coronavirus. so hence there perhaps that of the tier system might not be enough, or the lower tier 2 might be enough to cope with this? that's right. i think what is going on at the moment is that ministers are going to be discussing what came out of the meeting last night with the scientists, health officials and some health ministers. i think we are going to see a two pronged approach. one is an extension of the tier 4 areas, the areas under the highest restrictions in england. as you are suggesting, the next official review date of the tiers should have been december the 30th, but it looks as though fears about the spread of the virus, the new variant, is such that measures will be taken in some areas more quickly than that, perhaps on bo

here's our political correspondent, helen catt. the eu, 11pm on the 31st of january this year. and it will be 11pm again this time on the sist be 11pm again this time on the 31st of december when we will leave the single market and the customs union as well. this time the government says we will notice the change. a trade deal was finalised in brussels last week and it is expected to be in place before thursday. the eu is set to approve it, possibly as early as today. the uk parliament is expected to pass the necessary law on wednesday. even with the deal in place, businesses which trade goods with the eu will still have to file customs declarations even though they won't pay any tariffs. lorries wanting to use the channel tunnel or the port of dover will need a permit to enter kent. in holyhead, authorities are also putting in place measures to deal with possible traffic held up. it has advice for anyone planning a trip to any eu country except ireland also. check your passport is valid, doublecheck your running policy for your mo

i‘m joined by our political correspondent helen catt. what are you hearing from the uk side?ght, talks went into the night, but as you heard in the report, the uk government is saying the eu position is not accessible and government sources suggesting the eu is being unreasonable. they talked about how to police any future deal and there we re to police any future deal and there were talks on what would happen if a dispute arose between the uk and eu, at the heart of it, from the uk government, it seems to be the point kevin alluded to which is the idea of sovereignty and that the eu does not get the uk government position on sovereignty, the ability by country to make its own laws and rules. that is a major sticking point. today, this deadline, which have come and gone in brexit process , have come and gone in brexit process, they have spoken about this moment of finality with the foreign secretary saying it cannot go on for ever because there is pressure from business in the uk saying we have not much time until the end of the year and we not much time until the end of the

i'm joined by our political correspondent helen catt. the royal navy on standby to perform that patrol fishing waters which sounds like an escalation in terms of rushing up the idea of sovereignty, perhaps the prime minister trying to play to be redwall vote. is it really necessary? we have seen disruption in the channel before if you think about the so called scholar, clashes between fishermen in devon and england and in normandy in france over the fishing of scallops on the channel. there are instances of it in the past but there certainly seems to be a sense of a hardening of position on both sides, so in the uk, the position of borisjohnson has chaired the committee to take stock of note your readiness and news about the naval boats on standby does suggest that is trying to send a message of the uk being ready and prepared to go it alone in the same way that when you cite, emanuel micron and angela merkel saying they will not have conversations with borisjohnson. —— emmanuel macron. there is a public standing at least of hardening on

helen catt, bbc news, westminster.se who have had access to a copy of the full document is our political correspondent, leila nathoo. we have seen a full copy of the post—brexit trade agreement, so eu ambassadors meeting in brussels today have seen a copy of the document. the uk government has so far only published a summary but the full text runs to something like 1246 pages. 400 pages—odd of that covers the actual content of the deal, then a further 800 pages of annexes i cannot pretend to have gone through with a fine comb just yet. glad you're honest! but it is a very meaty document clearly and there will be lots of details that need to be looked at, but the full text is being considered today by eu ambassadors. because remember, all the eu states have to give it the 0k. they have been kept in the loop throughout, so it is unlikely we will get a veto. there was talk of that a few weeks ago that some member states might be unhappy with some elements. but we will not get any of that. the eu parliament has to go throu

i'm joined by our political correspondent helen catt.hnson and ursula von der leyen will talk again at lunchtime. what are the government saying about the state of the talks? the noises coming out of the talks? the noises coming out of the uk side have not been positive so the uk side have not been positive so after talks that went into the night last night, uk sources said the eu offer was not acceptable. uk government sources suggesting may be the eu was being unreasonable and it still does not really get what the uk means when it talks about sovereignty, the country's ability to set its own laws and rules. the talks have started this morning. the president of the european commission will speak to boris johnson president of the european commission will speak to borisjohnson at lunchtime to take stock and see if there is future in these talks. the foreign secretary spoke this morning and told andrew marr it would need a change in political will from the eu to continue. we said we could go we must leave no stone unturned. i spoke to the

our political correspondent helen catt said in the last 48 hours there seems to have been a hardenings of the negotiations. i spoke to her earlier. think about the so—called scallop wars, clashes between fishermen in devon in england and in normandy in france over the fishing of scallops in the channel. so there are instances of this in the past. but it certainly seems that in the last 48 hours, a sense of a hardening of position of both sides. in the uk, decided that borisjohnson has chaired that committee to take stock of no deal of readiness and this news about the naval boats on standby does suggest that it's trying to send this message of, "look, the uk is ready, "it is prepared to go it alone." in the same way, that on the eu side, emmanuel macron and angela merkel saying, "no, we're not going to have "individual conversations with borisjohnson" hardens up the position of, "no, we are a solid block and we are not "going to be picked off, if you like, one by one. "we are standing united." so it does seem to be that in public certainly, a bit of a hardening of position on both sid

our political correspondent helen catt is with me.pposed to be happening at the moment between borisjohnson happening at the moment between boris johnson and ursula happening at the moment between borisjohnson and ursula von der leyen,is borisjohnson and ursula von der leyen, is the hope that although today was supposed to be the last day of talks, they might stretch on a bit longer? with negotiations there is always hope, but this call was supposed to be where they make the call, if there is any point carrying on with these negotiations. as late as last night, the noises coming from the uk site was what the eu is offering a still unacceptable. these leaders have spoken last weekend and they met face—to—face earlier in the wake and no political breakthrough has been found. earlier the foreign secretary was warning that the bar would be quite high to continue negotiations at the big question is can they come to some sort of political agreement in the next hour or something that shifts it enough to make those negotiations continue? on t

restrictions to try to curb what looks like a rapid spread of the virus. 0ur political correspondent helen cattdecision and a political one? it is, we should be hearing from matt hancock later this afternoon, he is due to give a statement to the house of commons. but as you heard just now, there was a briefing earlier this morning for mps from london and also from some of the surrounding counties like kent and essex. i'm told the picture that was painted was pretty bleak, they were told cases were rising exponentially, one mp saying the figures were alarming and while there wasn't any specific discussion about moving areas tier 3 or not, as west put it, they might not have set it in words but they did say it in figures. there were some concerns raised earlier too, one mp asking, why they did not seem to have been any impact on the rights in kent, which went international lockdown and came out into tier 3, why that didn't seem to have had an impact and there were also concerns raised about this plan to relax some of the guidelines on household mixing over christmas. the prime minister's official

helen catt, there.. there are currently severe coronavirus restrictions on travel about entering into the eu and only essential travel is permitted. 0nly eight countries are allowed at the moment to enter the eu for that essential basis because they have low coronavirus infection rates. dominic raab said this morning eu member states would likely decide the rules to protect against infection and remember, the uk has had travel corridors in place with lots of countries over the summer, travel corridors with spain, for example. but they have changed because infection rates have also changed. it‘s thought they could come back and that individual countries could put travel corridors in place with the uk, places like spain and the canary islands. british travellers are very lucrative and essential for those countries‘ economies. easyjet explained they believe individual countries will operate like this. but it is no surprise that these shock suggestions are coming up. the negotiations are still ongoing but t

all the details come from our political correspondent helen catt. ago, hastings in east sussex had one of the lowest rates of coronavirus in england. now a surge in cases has pushed the town into tier 3 along with a huge swathe of the south east. it is therefore necessary to apply tier 3 measures across a much wider area of the east and south—east of england, including bedfordshire, buckinghamshire, berkshire, peterborough, the whole of hertfordshire, surrey, with the exception of waverley, hastings and rother on the kent border of east sussex, and portsmouth, gosport and havant in hampshire. these changes will take effect from one minute past midnight on saturday morning. millions of people across northern england and midlands will stay in tier 3. i regret having to take the action we have to take. i deem it necessary and there is a strong view right across government that these actions are necessary. greater manchester has been under the toughest restrictions for months and the rate of infection has come down, below the average. despite that the g

let's speak to our political correspondent helen catt at westminster. told we are at the wire and then suddenly there seems to be longer, is this really it this week? well, we are frankly running out of days, we are on the 7th of december, the transition period ends on 31st december. however, both sides are still talking and we know that there are still significant differences remaining on key issues, as they have been throughout the negotiations. as we heard from chris, on the playing field, the level playing field, the idea of being able to ensure fair competition, as the eu calls it. also on fishing, the suggestion last night that there had been some progress made, absolutely scotched this morning firstly by the uk government, who said that the eu sources had literally made it up, but then also by michel barnier, who it is reported has told eu ambassadors this morning that no progress has been made there, either. so, the talks are going round, not progressing massively far. however, they are still talking. and while they are still talking, it does imp

our political correspondent, helen catt is at westminster. ood has worsened on that. when it was put out last night, uk sources were quick to squash it, today absolutely scotched, uk source social 5 saying the eu made it up. we know there is issues with the shared rules, the common standards that both sides will agree and that has been quite a sticking point. that goes to the heart of what both sides want. for te the eu it‘s protecting the single market. for the uk the point of brexit is the uk being able to make its own rules. that is why that is such a sticking point. the talks will continue and the big heart of what both sides want. for the eu it‘s protecting the single market. for the uk the point of brexit is the uk being able to make its own rules. that is why that is such a sticking point. the talks will continue and the big moment today is that phone call between boris johnson and ursula von der leyen lar. getting a couple of lines coming through, we hear the eu commission head and the british prime minister are to hold that call... oh

helen catt is in westminster. is itfairto is it fair to say they don't have the information?he detailed reasoning behind the system was yellow with the government did yesterday was publish some analysis on the impact. but a lot of it was stuff that had already been put out by the office of budget response building last week. one of the findings was that it couldn't predict with any a ccu ra cy it couldn't predict with any accuracy the impact of the specific restrictions over a defined time or what would happen if no restrictions we re what would happen if no restrictions were in place. so a lot of conservative mps who've been calling for some sort of analysis to be published have not been satisfied by what was put out. sir graham brady, the chair of the 1922 committee of conservative backbenchers, a very senior conservative described it as being no serious attempt to answer the questions that they had. so there was lots of dissatisfaction about it. downing street say they published a lot of data over the course of the pandemic and have put this in the public domain. but it's

and now out in the rain... 0ur political correspondent, helen catt is at westminster.is morning of london mps and those from surrounding counties like kent and essex, which are looked at the data and speaking to some of those who are on the call, they said it was pretty bleak. 0ne described the figures as being alarming, that they we re figures as being alarming, that they were showing two sources on the cull said they had been told that in some areas, case numbers were doubling they said this was about setting up they said this was about setting up the background, setting at the figures for them. but he did not address what might that happen, although the inference that most ta ke although the inference that most take away from that is that there would need to be some sort of further action. the labour mp singh london might not be going into tier 3in london might not be going into tier 3 in words, but they said it in figures —— saying that london. this morning's with officials. it would suggest, if it looks like it, talking with matt hancock this afternoon would be th

heard things might not be going as quite as planned this evening. 0ur political correspondent, helen cattre with all of this but when are you hearing with regards to what has been discussed and what has not been discussed tonight? brexit has been dramatic in every stage but there's a bit of a tone of pessimism coming out from the uk side this evening. singing uk government sources told the bbc that a breakthrough is still possible in the next few days but the prospect is receding and they claimed that the 11th hour the eu is bringing new elements into the negotiations. what they mean by that we don't know and what they mean by the new elements we know that the issues that have been sticking points throughout these talks were things like the allocation of fishing rights, about competition rules, the eu was concerned that the uk would have access to the single market but without being able to give companies a boost from an unfair advantage as they see it come back of fishing, they see it come back of fishing, the uk says the eu has not been recognising it will be an independent coastal stat

will talk to our europe correspondent nick beake in brussels.first to our political correspondent helen cattall sides together? yes, those technical talks which have been going on for many months have seen to hitan going on for many months have seen to hit an impasse, a stalemate. what is happening now is those chief negotiated, lord frost that the uk and michel barnier that the eu, are not resuming any talks over the issues they have been looking at. what they are instead doing, drawing up what they are instead doing, drawing upa what they are instead doing, drawing up a list about the where the two sides have differences and we understand there are significant differences on the shared rules, governance and fisheries. they will be drawing up this list which boris johnson and ursula von der leyen will discuss when they meet in person this week in brussels. as he heard in that report, the tone from the uk has been pretty gloomy, suggesting it will be very tricky. that is a sentiment borisjohnson has echoed this morning. in terms of actual timelines, i know it is very, very ha rd to actual ti

this report from our political correspondent, helen catt. late night dinner at their desks for the negotiating teams, the chance of delivering a deal in the next few days is receding. that was according to a senior government receding. that was according to a senior government source receding. that was according to a senior government source last night you accuse the eu of bringing in new elements at the 11th hour. uk sources have suggested the eu has hardened its proposals on the common rules which both sides would agree to put in place, in particular how to put in place, in particular how to enforce them. from the eu side there was a suggestion talks had got extremely sluggish but an eu source denied there had been any surprises or new demands from them. michel barnier is expected to go back to brussels later as planned. talks continue, what is really going on inside the building he is left behind, we cannot know for sure. a turn for the worse or the theatrics ofa turn for the worse or the theatrics of a negotiation nearing its end? we sho

but first let's go to westminster and our political correspondent helen catt. negotiator lauder frost is still in brussels, not coming home. —— lord first. the talks are happening and so the is a possibility the deal could be reached. the uk government does want to reach a deal but there are significant disagreements. you had in that report, there was a swift slap down from uk sources to any suggestion that an agreement had been reached on fishing. the big sticking point is the level playing field. this is what the eu calls fair competition rules, they want to make sure that they cannot see a point where the uk firms cant sell things into the single market following set rules set by the uk government which could give them an advantage over eu firms. how do you do that? the uk does not want to sign up to follow eu rules because they say that defeats the entire point of brexit. so there is a big sticking point about enforcing them if there is disagreement. for the uk government, these issues go right to the heart of what brexit is about. the eu's chief negotiator,

our political correspondent helen catt is in our london newsroom. good morning to you, helen.tion period ends on december 31 so it feels like we're moving towards that. dominic raab described it as a moment of finality earlier this week. at the moment, publicly at least, it does not look like either side is giving ground. the uk we have seen this attempt to draw attention before —— attention to the deadline with the navy in the channel, not so little sign that the eu -- uk is channel, not so little sign that the eu —— uk is prepared to go alone but the eu is prepared to stick together, leaders like angela merkel and emmanuel macron saying they will not speak to boris johnson separately so publicly the two sides do not look like they are coming together and of course we don't know exactly what is being set in the negotiation room. all of the time they are talking a deal is still possible but we are still into those final few hours to find out if that is the case. helen, thank you. the us food and drug administration has authorised the pfizer—biontech coronavirus vaccine for eme

let's go over to westminster now, and speak to our political correspondent helen catt. , how do numbers come down? as you said, realistically this is going to pass. those tiers will pass and they will come into effect at midnight tonight and it will be bt or area was told to go in and you will go into midnight. how can you be so sure. because of labour‘s decision to abstain. their mps will not vote. for it to be defeated, you would need more than half of the conservative party to vote against the government on these measures and that will not happen. we have seen a significant number of conservative mps in recent weeks expressing concerns about these restrictions, but we will not know until it shakes down later tonight exactly how many those will go on to vote against it. we know that the coronavirus recovery group chaired by mark harper, 70 mps from that to borisjohnson by mark harper, 70 mps from that to boris johnson last week expressing concern over the system. because of labour‘s decision to abstain, it will go through. here is the shadow chancellorjon ashworth expl

our political correspondent helen catt is at westminster.like sunday is a moment. we have had a lot of deadlines that have come and gone in brexit and it always feels like this is the moment, but it certainly feels like sunday is a real point where if there is going to be a walk away moment, that is going to be it. it may be that they come back on sunday and say we are going to talk for a bit more, sunday and say we are going to talk fora bit more, but sunday and say we are going to talk for a bit more, but it seems that it is building to that moment. the foreign secretary this morning described it as a moment of finality, a recognition that there wasn't a political breakthrough in the meeting last night. downing street described it as a frank, but said there were differences. from the uk side, there's sense that the eu needs to budge... this idea that the uk should be free to set its own rules and not really have to answer to others, because for the uk government, that has been the whole point of brexit, it is about taking back control, tha

we can speak now to our political correspondent helen catt, who's in downing street. to do if there was any future dispute between the uk and the eu. what the uk side is saying still, they do not think the eu really gets their position on this idea of sovereignty, the ability of a country to set its own rules and laws pretty much unconstrained, and so that is a major sticking point from the uk side. so borisjohnson has said repeatedly if a deal cannot be found, the uk would walk away and trade on world trade organisation terms. both sides have said today is the day to decide that. that is a big, big moment though. we have seen these talks keep continuing as both sides say they want to leave no stone unturned to actually say we're going to pull the plug, draw the stu m ps going to pull the plug, draw the stumps as boris johnson going to pull the plug, draw the stumps as borisjohnson would have it, that is a big moment and a big decision because while the prime minister said we would prosper mightily outside on those world 0rganisation terms, there will be immediate dis